


Waverly Slides Into Nicole's Rosebush And It's Not Even An Innuendo

by phalanges_are_handy



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Did I Mention Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Haught plays piano, Wayhaught - Freeform, did she deflower her?, if waverly destroyed nicole's roses, lil bit o angst, slowish burn, sorry it was supposed to be all fluff but I'm bad at happy stories, there's a dog, wayhaught piano lessons, what else do you need, wow that took a turn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-07
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-04-19 15:02:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14239842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phalanges_are_handy/pseuds/phalanges_are_handy
Summary: Waverly takes care of a dog. This leads her into the garden of a sweet police officer. I'm so bad at summaries. Inquire inside for more details. Same universe, just alternate wayhaught meeting.It's my first fic so strap in (I swear the writing gets better)





	1. Chapter 1

Waverly was sure she was cursed. Not just with the demon-fighting type though. The second curse, she was sure, was never having the strength to say no to a friend. So when Chrissy Nedley called asking if she’d be okay with dogsitting for a weekend, just a weekend, she already knew how the next few days were going to pan out. Besides, Randy Nedley, though tough on the outside, was notorious for smothering animals with copious amounts of human food, and therefore was the last choice in Chrissy’s mind for her beloved puppy.

Waverly smiled to herself at the thought of the sheriff cooing at the great pyrenees as she opened the door to the BBD office. Her entrance cued an exasperated sigh from the couch where the Earp heir was lying, remnants of a jambuster doughnut all over her face. 

“God Waves, this dog is straight from hell,” she paused to lick the icing sugar from her fingers thoughtfully. “I would know.”

“He’s really not that bad! Annnd he’s just a baby you know,” Waverly said, setting the thick volumes regarding the occult down with a thunk on the table. The puppy bounded over to her, jumping and pawing at her legs.

If looks could kill, the one Dolls sent her way would’ve slain her on the spot. The brunette raised her eyebrows at Wynonna, silently asking what his deal was as she crouched down to greet the eager dog. 

“Oh yeah. When that wolf of a puppy wasn’t barking his head off, he took to chewing up a certain deputy marshall’s shoes,” her sister said with a chuckle as she grabbed another doughnut from the nearly empty box.

Stifling a laugh, Waverly attached a leash to the white dog’s collar as Dolls groaned loudly into his hands.

“Right, well it’s late,” Waverly said, straightening up again. “I’m gonna take him out for walk then head back to the homestead.”

Wynonna called a tired ‘later babygirl’ after her sister as she walked out of the office, the canine in tow. By the time Waverly made it to the door, any bystander would assume the dog was walking her, as he had began to pull the short girl this way and that.

The pair made their way down the main street in Purgatory as the town settled into its Friday night routine. As they neared Shorty’s, the sounds of drunken yelling and terrible karaoke choices began to ring out in the streets, disrupting the tentative silence that had blanketed the small town. 

A particularly drunk patron stumbled out of the bar just as Waverly passed on the other side of the road. A familiar voice called out to her, but she ignored it and pulled the puppy closer as her pace subconsciously quickened.

“Babe come onnnn,” Champ hollered out again. Even though it had been two months since Waverly had ended it with him, Champ had taken every opportunity to plead and beg with her to let him back.

The youngest Earp just grit her teeth and walked even faster, removing herself from the main street entirely by ducking into a residential street lined with small houses. Leave it to me to run into the biggest douchebag in Purgatory in the middle of the night. Yep, she thought. Cursed in more ways than one.

Just as this thought crossed her mind, it started to rain. Hard. 

Scowling, she turned on her heel, ready to return to the homestead and sleep off the long day, when Chrissy Nedley’s “hellhound” spotted a rabbit. Unfortunately, Waverly saw the hare a second late, and before she knew it, the leash was out of her hand and the dog attached to it was bounding down the middle of the road.

Waverly followed suit, a string of curses following in her wake. She sprinted down the road, puddles already forming on the asphalt as the rain continued to come down in sheets all around her.

Time seemed to slow as she gained on the great pyrenees. The space between her and the dog closed just as she slipped on the mud beneath her feet. With all the grace of a blind three-legged horse, she slid forwards on her stomach, enveloping the back half of the mud-splattered dog at the same time. Victory washed over her, but it quickly dissipated as she and the dog tumbled directly into a large rosebush that sat proudly on the front of a lawn.

Little did Waverly know, the newest deputy in Purgatory had watched the whole ordeal in awe as the most gorgeous girl she’d ever seen slid right into her rosebush.

Waverly watched the front door to the house in front her open as a tall redhead sprinted into the yard. As the figure got closer she realized it was one of the officers she’d seen around the station every once in a while.

“Wild night, huh?” The officer asked, flashing an adorable smile and matching set of dimples.

Nodding dumbly, Waverly blushed, lost in the woman’s kind eyes. She suddenly wished the rain was much heavier, if only to mask the pink hue that coloured her cheeks.

“Well, let’s get you two inside then,” She said, swiftly scooping the dog up into her arms and offering Waverly a hand. “I’m Nicole. Haught.” 

Goddamn you’ve got that right, Waverly thought, before it dawned on her that Haught was just an incredibly accurate last name. 

“And you’re Waverly Earp, right? Quite a popular girl around here,” Nicole said, filling in the awkward silence that crept in while Waverly was searching for words. They entered the small house, the thick scent of hot chocolate quickly enveloping the women as the door closed off the rain.

“All in the smile and wave,” Waverly said, kicking herself internally.

They peeled off their muddy shoes and Nicole lead the smaller girl through her house, somehow maintaining her grip on the sopping wet dog. Once they got to the washroom, Nicole unceremoniously dropped the puppy into the tub, telling both Waverly and the dog to ‘stay put’ as she waltzed out of the washroom. The redhead returned moments later, bearing towels and clean clothes. 

The brunette broke out of her stupor as Nicole began to run water over the whining dog, crouching down to help with cleaning the canine. Just as Nicole opened her mouth to remark on the smaller girl’s unfortunate night, the puppy decided he’d had enough water for one day, and shook out his thick coat.

Nicole reacted first, jumping backwards, ultimately landing on the floor. Waverly lost her balance quickly after, and landed face to face on top of Nicole. All it took was one look between the girls and they broke into fits of laughter. Both sheepishly noticed how nice it was to see the other smile.

Waverly suddenly pushed herself off the officer’s body, blushing from the laughter and how close she’d been to Nicole’s smiling mouth only moments before.

After she composed herself, Nicole grabbed the dog and some towels and began to dry him off, tossing a towel and set of clothes right into Waverly’s face. 

“Miss Earp, you’re soaked,” You have no idea, Waverly thought, “So I insist you change. I’ll throw your stuff into the wash too, don’t worry.” The tall woman went about drying the dog again, not letting Waverly get one word in about leaving, insisting she stay over.

So, Waverly ducked out of the washroom, quietly enjoying the thought of staying the night. Once she was sure Nicole was completely focused on the dog, she changed into some sweats that were outrageously long on her. She pulled her soaked shirt over her head, only to hear a small rip as the fabric caught on her earring. Oh lord. She struggled for a good minute, fighting to get out of the wet shirt. 

“Having difficulty out there Earp?” Nicole asked, grinning at her as she released the dog into her house. 

OH LORD.

“Here, I’ve gotcha,” Said the officer, a smile still tugging at her lips, causing Waverly’s face to flush a deep red. She reached out, gingerly unhooking the loop from the shorter girl’s ear. 

“Th- thanks,” Waverly said, and pulled the fresh sweatshirt over her head to hide her deepening blush. It read ‘Calgary Police Academy’ in bold letters across the front and quickly became her favourite thing she’d ever worn. 

They stood outside the washroom for a few beats, caught up in each other's gaze, only breaking from the trance when an incredibly annoyed hiss came from the living room. 

“Calamity, play nice,” Nicole called out as she trotted down the hall to her living room.

Waverly followed, definitely not checking out the officer the whole way. 

Nicole scooped up the disgruntled tabby, petting and murmuring comforting words to the cat.

“Behold,” she said, presenting the cat Rafiki-style to the shorter girl. “Calamity Jane, the fearless warrior.” she paused, setting the cat down again. “Kinda a dick though. Doesn’t take to men. Or people at all really…” she trailed off, as the cat had begun rubbing her head against Waverly’s leg, a deep purr rumbling in her throat. 

Waverly plopped down, stroking the cat contentedly, unaware of the incredulous look she was earning from the smitten officer.

“Right,” Nicole cleared her throat, gesturing to the soaked dog. “I think I’ll set this one up in the basement. He’s dripping everywhere and I’ve gotta be honest, I’m a fan of my things not being torn apart in the night.”

Waverly agreed, fighting not to get lost in those lovely eyes again. Nicole insisted on leaving Waverly with her cat, secretly hoping to catch a glimpse of the adorable pair when she returned.

Once Nicole had left, Waverly began taking in the parlour. It was filled with a large armchair beside a dormant fireplace and two smaller couches turned towards a modest television, along with a piano tucked into the corner across from the comfortable-looking armchair. Waverly moved herself and the content ginger cat to the smaller of the couches, and sank into the cushions.

“Do ya want anything to eat or drink?” Nicole called from the kitchen, startling the youngest Earp from her dreams of curling up on the couch with a certain officer dimples. 

“No, no, I’m alright,” Waverly squeaked out as the taller girl poked her head into the room and cracked a dazzling grin.

“Suit yourself. I do make killer peanut butter cookies if you change your mind though. Blue tin next to the radio,”

Nicole strolled into the living room, settling easily into the plush armchair.   
They sat like that for the better part of two hours, just laughing and enjoying each other's company. By the time Nicole had finished a dramatic retelling of an adventure from her days in the academy involving the drunken theft of every garbage can in a three kilometer radius, the night had melted into early morning.

“Waves,” Nicole barely covered up a yawn, “As much as I lov- like. Liked talking to you, I’ve got a double shift tomorrow so I really should go to bed. You can stay up as long as you like though, the guest room is all set up. Second door on the way to the washroom.”

Waverly nodded her thanks and mumbled a weary ‘good night’ in the direction of the officer as she padded out of the room. After waiting a few beats, she bid her goodbyes to the tabby settled on the couch and made her way to the guest room, most certainly not wondering what would happen if she crawled into bed with the charming woman who rescued her from her wet shirt with ease.

After gently shutting the door behind her, the brunette dove under the unfamiliar sheets, burying both her face and the distracting thoughts about stetsons and red curls in the pillows. She drifted into a light sleep, uneasy in her surroundings.

At six thirty two A.M, two things happened in the Haught household. One, Nicole was pulled from her sleep by a sound that could only be described as a pterodactyl screech, and two, Waverly discovered just how startling it can be to wake up to the sound of a thunderclap right outside your window.

Nicole barged into her guest room wearing her best ‘I’m a cop and if you fuck with the pretty girl, you fuck with the taser’ face, only to find a dishevelled Earp sprawled out on the floor, clutching the alarm clock from the bedside table in self defence.

A blush crept up Waverly’s face. “I uh, I thought there was a.. So I basically…. Yep the thunder scared me,” she looked at the floor in embarrassment, unaware of the alarming rate at which Nicole’s heart was melting.

The taller woman gently took the clock from Waverly’s hands and pulled her to her feet, flashing a grin at the younger woman, causing the already present blush to deepen. 

“So you can stare down Deputy Marshal Xavier Dolls without flinching but thunder gets to you?” the redhead chuckled.

“Hey!” Waverly said, playfully punching Nicole shoulder, “I’m tough.”

The officer snorted. “Tough as dryer lint. You up for some breakfast?”

Waverly swallowed her pride and nodded.

“Perfect. I’m just gonna get ready and then maybe we can swing by the diner?”

“Um yes yeah sure that’d be, uh, yeah no awesome, yes lets,” Waverly said, wishing she could bury herself alive right then and there. 

She barely noticed Nicole had left her until she returned with Waverly’s clothes, hot out of the dryer and neatly folded. She said her thanks and shut the door. This isn’t a date, she mentally scolded herself. Just a platonic outing. With a new friend. Who she one hundred percent was not falling for. And who casually mentioned a handful of past girlfriends last night with an almost hopeful smile? Maybe?

As soon as Waverly stepped out of the bedroom, she was bombarded with two sights that brought the biggest grin to her face. The first was Chrissy Nedley’s dog bounding excitedly towards her, tongue lolling and too-big paws tripping over each other. The second was Officer Nicole Haught sending her a wink as she placed that damn stetson on her head.


	2. Breakfast Interrupted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole and Waverly go for breakfast. Demons happen. So does a bit of drunk Nicole. 
> 
> I'm no good at summaries, enjoy!

Waverly let out a woop as Nicole begrudgingly flipped the sirens on for the fourth time. 

“Alright Waves can we go now? The neighbours are staring,” The officer said, unable to contain her smile as Waverly peered around at the inside of her patrol car. 

“Yeah, now that we got that stick outta your ass, Haught stuff,” she scrambled to cover up her last sentence. “Daddy never let me ride in his patrol car,” Waverly trailed off, wincing at the memory. Way to bring up your tragic backstory on the first date, she thought. No. Just breakfast. With a friend. Who’s lips look so impossibly soft.

Thankfully, the redhead left it at that, too flustered by being called “Haught stuff” by the gorgeous girl beside her to regain her wits. They pulled into the empty parking lot of the diner shortly after, the early hour and insistent rain having shut most of Purgatory in for the morning.

“Wait here,” Nicole said, shrugging off her jacket.

Waverly watched her round the front of the car and pull the passenger door open in record time. 

“M’lady,” The taller girl helped the blushing Earp out from the car and threw her jacket over her shoulders. They sprinted to the welcoming diner doors and entered, grinning the whole way.

Waverly led Nicole by the hand to her favourite booth in the back, the grumbling in her stomach proclaiming just how much she wanted to murder a stack of pancakes. She tugged the borrowed jacket tighter and watched the officer’s brow furrow at the menu as she pulled a pair of glasses from her front shirt pocket and placed them on her nose. The brunette nearly passed out right then and there. 

“I, uh, forgot my contacts. You alright Waves?” Nicole asked, arching her brow at the look she was earning from the youngest Earp. Waverly suddenly felt a rush of determination, the likes of which she hadn’t felt since the tranquilizer before band practice incident. Needless to say, it had been a while. 

“Yeah, it’s just… you’rereallycute,” Waverly said, wishing only for the sweet release of death.

As soon as the words had left her mouth, it became very hard to distinguish which was redder; Nicole’s hair or the deep blush that bloomed across her cheeks and neck. Before either one could say something, the waitress came by with coffees. Waverly anxiously pulled the mug towards her as she mumbled out her order, and didn’t look up until Nicole offered her cream and sugar a few minutes later.

Maybe I came off as straight, she thought, as she tore open five sugar packs in one fell swoop. Here’s hoping. Wouldn’t want the sexy cop to catch on and flirt back. No no no. She was so caught up in her thoughts of that charming smile that she poured all the sugar into her coffee, along with three creams and some salt without a second thought.

“Are you okay?” asked the officer as she eyed Waverly’s mug skeptically. 

“Yes! Yeah.. no. It’s just, I’ve never really felt like this. Ever,” The younger girl released the coffee from her death grip to reach across the table and grab Nicole’s hand. Waverly suddenly felt very warm as Nicole smiled and squeezed her hand gently. 

Nicole’s tone was soft this time. “And what is it that you’re feeling, Miss Earp?”

Waverly quickly retracted her hand as she caught sight of the waitress. The woman set a heaping pile of pancakes for Waverly and an omelette for Nicole on the table with a drowsy “enjoy” before returning to the front of the diner. Waverly sighed, turning her eyes back to the patient officer in front of her. Unfortunately, their short-lived peace became just that as a fuming (albeit slightly inebriated) Wynonna Earp stormed into the building.

“WAVERLY FUCKING EARP,” Waverly could feel the colour drain from her face. “Are you able to use a phone or do I need to teach you AND Doc?” her sister closed the distance to the table quickly. “I called. And texted. No response!!” Wynonna’s voice softened. “I was worried sick, you nutsack.”

“I’m alright, don’t worry,” Waverly said, touched by the uncannily worried look that had settled over her sister’s face. “Just had an impromptu sleepover with Officer Haught.” 

Wynonna snorted. “ ‘Sup, four eyes?” the heir slid into the booth next to Waverly, already reaching for the pancakes. “Eat up babygirl, we’ve got ass to kick.” Wynonna stuffed a pancake into her mouth, finishing it in three bites. She then leaned across the table to pull Nicole’s coffee over. Before the redhead could protest, Wynonna’s flask had emptied into it and she had gulped down half the mug.

Of course Wynonna had to show up when it was getting good, Waverly thought, shoving a piece of pancake in her mouth annoyedly. 

Nicole watched with amusement as the Earp girls bickered over breakfast as if she wasn’t there, although to be honest, she was a little upset she and Waverly had been interrupted, and even hurt that Waverly hadn’t so much as looked at her since her sister showed up.

As soon as the last drops of maple syrup had been cleaned off the plate, the older sister stood and tugged Waverly to her feet. 

“Dolls is gonna have a shit hemorrhage if we don’t show up soon Waves,” she looked at the crestfallen officer. “Thanks for breakfast Haught shot.”

The eldest Earp then pulled Waverly by the hand as the shorter girl mouthed a bashful “sorry” over her shoulder at Nicole. And like that, the Earps had left Nicole with the bill, a great pyrenees, and no jacket. 

XXX

Waverly looked out of the passenger window of her jeep moodily, wanting only to be back at the diner with Nicole. What would I even do? She thought. Other than Nicole. For hours. Waverly pulled herself from her wistful thoughts to catch the end of her sister’s sentence.

“... ya know?”

“Hm?”

“Nicole. Officer Haught pants. She’s a lesbian.”

“Yeah? How do you know?”

“Couple drunk nights with her at the cop shop. And she was pretty much eye-fucking you over breakfast.”

Waverly’s breathing suddenly went shallow. “Oh yeah?”

“Yep,” Wynonna said, popping the P.

“You alright with that?”

“With an officer of the law having cheeky eye sex with my baby sister right in front of me and my pancakes?”

“No! Wynonna, the whole gay thing,” Waverly huffed.

“Pfft, of course I am. I really don’t care or wanna know who Miss Perfect does in her spare time. As long as she doesn’t snitch on my secret whiskey stock at the station, we’ll be alright.”

Maybe it’ll be okay, Waverly thought, looking out the window at the rain again. Wynonna seems kind of on board. All I need now is a real date with Nicole. Dinner, wine, the whole shebang. And then maybe they could go back to Nicole’s house and..

“Shit,” Wynonna muttered as they pulled up to the station.

In the parking lot stood a revenant, in all his demonic glory, eyes flashing as he held Doc in a chokehold. Waverly shot a panicked look at Wynonna, who was already reaching for her holster. Which, in true Wynonna fashion, was actually sitting by an empty bottle of whiskey, safe and sound in the BBD war room.

“Where’d you put Peacemaker??” Waverly hissed, as Doc’s face turned another shade of blue.

“War room. I can distract if you can get there and back before Doc pops like an 8th grader’s juicy zit.” 

“Gross. But I can,” Waverly paused. “Be careful Wyn.”

“Haul ass, babygirl.”

And with that, the heir jumped out, yelling obscenities in the general direction of the revenant. Once all attention was on her sister, Waverly sprinted across the rain-slicked pavement and into the station.

She zipped Nicole’s coat closed as she kicked BBD’s door open, all the while thanking herself for sticking with the combat lessons Dolls had insisted she take part in. The brunette scrambled around, pushing papers off the table and just making a general mess until she finally found Peacemaker, and tucked the gun into the pocket of the jacket. 

She sprinted out again, hoping Wynonna had held the demon’s attention for long enough, when she ran right into a rain-soaked Officer Haught. 

“Waves! Hey, can we talk?” she asked, her dimples almost forcing Waverly to stop and admire the view.

“Uh, no, not really. Sorry officer.” She pushed past Nicole and out the doors, though the redhead was close behind, sensing something was wrong.

Waverly made a beeline for Wynonna, with Officer Haught on her heels (haha). 

“Wyn!” Waverly threw the gun end over end at her sister, who caught it with ease.  
“Show’s over, dickbag,” the heir said, cocking her gun and pointing the business end right between the revhead’s eyes. 

The demon disappeared quickly, leaving Doc to scramble out of the hellfire around him. Waverly lifted Doc to his feet. 

“Much obliged ladies,” he said, tipping his hat at the Earp girls.

“Where’s Dolls?” Wynonna asked, looking around the parking lot.

“Headed west in the van, on the trail of Bobo and his partners. I reckon they left not five minutes before you arrived.”

“Right. Waves, get Dolls on the phone, we’re going too,” Wynonna said, tossing her car keys back at Waverly.

“What. The. Fresh. Fuck. Was that?” Nicole asked, announcing her presence. 

The three BBD agents looked at each other, the same concerned look written across their faces. After a moment’s pause, Wynonna spoke up.

“O-kayyyyy, Doc, you can stay here and fill in Haught sauce while we go rescue our wonderful leader.”

With that, the Earps once again left Nicole, but this time Waverly watched her the whole time in her rearview mirror, heart sinking at the thought of how she dragged the officer into the mess that is her life.

XXX

“ ‘Nonna, I know you’re worried, but it’s only been three days. He’ll be back. I know it,” Waverly said, fighting against sleep as she rested her head back onto the couch in the Black Badge office. Wynonna, Waverly, Doc, and even Nedley had spent the entirety of those three days at the station, waiting for any word on the Deputy Marshal’s status. On the first day they had drove for hours, never once finding a trace of the black SUV or Bobo himself. Over the course of the other two days they had resorted to begging, physically restraining, and three very expensive bottles of whiskey to keep Wynonna from barging in on the trailer park herself.

“He probably has reasons for not contacting us,” the youngest Earp said for what seemed to be the millionth time. Her eyes had already begun to close as she slept for the first time in the three days.

“I know Waves,” Wynonna said softly to the sleeping form of her sister. 

The heir walked out of the office, shutting the lights off as she went. Wynonna continued down the hall, only to notice a single light left on behind the bullpen. She crossed over to the lone desk, and nearly stumbled over the hunched form of Nicole.

Wynonna frowned. “Is that my whiskey?”

“I watched a demon get sent to hell, which real I guess. I decided I’d be needing it,” the officer replied, her words already slurring together.

“Alright Haught shot,” Wynonna said, pulling Nicole to her feet. “We both need something a little stronger than that.”

Wynonna (grinning for the first time in days) led a stumbling Nicole out to a BBD van, as she decided the redhead would make a wonderful addition to her ragtag family.

XXX

Waverly was torn from a particularly enjoyable dream, involving Nicole in nothing but her stetson, by her phone buzzing. Wiping sleep from her eyes, she answered.

“Is this Waverly Earp?”

“Yes. Who is this?” she asked, trying and failing to hide her dismay at being awoken.

“Greg. I manage Pussy Willows… I think we’ve talked before? Your sister is back with a friend and they’ve drank up the bar. She’s also started three fights. I’m sorry to bother you, but you’ve gotta come pick them up.”

With an eye role, she begrudgingly agreed. The whole drive to the strip club was filled with two kinds of thoughts: resentful ones directed at her sister and longing ones sent back to the couch. 

The youngest Earp quickly caught sight of her sister, and to her surprise, a very drunk officer Haught. Once the fight to get the two into her jeep had been won, she buckled them in like children, mindful not to brush against Nicole’s vomit-drenched uniform. The ride back to the homestead had been incredibly long, what with the stench of vomit and loud complaining from Wynonna. The only enjoyable part was the not-so-sly wink she earned from Nicole every time she looked in her rearview mirror. God shes a cute drunk, Waverly thought as they pulled up to the homestead.

Getting the two women into the homestead was a different challenge entirely, and she let out a sigh as she finally settled Wynonna down in her room. 

“Alright Haught,” she said, turning to the redhead who had preoccupied herself with flipping through the pages of an upside down book. “Let’s take care of… this.” she motioned at the woman vaguely.   
Waverly pulled the drunk cop into her room, not at all like ways she’d seen herself do so in her head. She sighed as she looked the woman up and down. Right, she thought. Shirt and pants both need to be washed. She reached for the buttons of Nicole’s shirt undoing them carefully, avoiding the puke. 100% not just dragging it out a little.

“Hey,” words began to tumble out of the redheads mouth. “Shouldn’t you buy me dinner first?”

Waverly’s cheeks flushed at the comment. The red hue only darkened as she pulled Nicole’s pants off, following her boots. She gently tucked the scantily dressed officer into her bed, trying very, very hard not to let her eyes travel down her body.

After she was certain both women were asleep and the laundry had been done, Waverly curled up on the couch in the Earp living room, drifting off to thoughts of an underwear-clad redhead sleeping in her bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOAH! Okay so this is crazy, thank you to everyone who read the first chapter (or left kudos), your comments were all so wonderful and wow it means so much to me that there's real humans reading my stuff (no judgement if you're a robot tho). I hope that was okay? Still really don't know what's going on. 
> 
> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING


	3. Wynonna is in trouble and Haught is too nice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole wakes up in the Earp house. Wynonna gets in trouble. Also Nicole can play piano and ooo wee Waverly likes it.

Waverly glanced up the stairs of the homestead, only turning around when she was sure both Wynonna and Nicole were still on the second floor. She padded back into the kitchen. No one will know, she thought. It’s better they don’t. She could only imagine the judging stares that would come from the officer and her sister if they found out.

She took a shaky breath, and pressed play on the Pokémon theme song. 

Reciting the song word for word, she pranced around the kitchen and set about making breakfast. The youngest Earp was so caught up in her favourite song and the prospect of pancakes that she didn’t hear Nicole enter the kitchen and take in the sight that was Waverly Earp.

Waverly flipped the first pancake with gusto, singing the whole while.

“Ohhhh, you’re my best friend, in a world we must-” the words died in her throat as she spun around, right in front of an amused redhead.

“Nicole! Hey, I um, I didn’t hear you come downstairs,” Waverly said (an octave higher than usual) as she slammed her finger down on the pause button.

“That was the plan. I used Sneak Attack,” the taller woman mock-whispered, grinning the whole time. She added a wink for good measure.

More like Charm, Waverly thought, melting all the while. Needless to say, it was super effective.

Breathlessly, Waverly turned back to the burning pancakes, desperately trying not to imagine what was (or wasn’t) under the robe that the taller woman had stolen from the washroom.  
Nicole sat down at the kitchen table, screwing her hungover eyes up at the late morning light coming in from the window. She let out a content hum as Waverly set a cup of steaming coffee and an Advil in front of her. It was all very domestic, and both women thought to themselves about how they could get used to this.

Just as Waverly finished piling the pancakes onto a plate, Wynonna strode into the room, clad in her finest armour - a leather jacket, tight smile, and even tighter leather pants.

Waverly raised her brow as her sister happily shoved a pancake in her mouth, smiling the whole time.

“Okay, where are you holding my sister?” she asked looking the eldest Earp up and down.

“Very funny Waves. Just have a hunch today. We’ll find him.” With that, she pulled her sister into a tight hug and kissed her on the cheek. “Stay safe alright babygirl?” 

Waverly just nodded, still puzzling over what really had her sister in such a good mood.

Wynonna then turned on her heel, making a beeline for the door, only after kissing a bewildered Nicole on the cheek as well. As soon as the door slammed shut, Waverly and Nicole turned to each other, each sending a quizzical look at the other.

“So that’s hungover Wynonna, huh?” Nicole mused.

Waverly just kept on frowning as she mulled over what had her sister in her first good mood in days. She absentmindedly set breakfast down for Nicole, coming to the conclusion that Wynonna wasn’t as sober as she had thought.

A ding from the dryer lifted the brunette from her thoughts. She crossed over to the laundry room, unaware that the officer behind her was enjoying the view. Quite a lot. 

Waverly neatly folded Nicole’s uniform, all thoughts of Wynonna having been replaced with those of the gorgeous redhead. She brought the clothes back out, beaming at Nicole.

“Thought I’d wash this. You know, if you’re gonna spend more time with the Earps you should learn how to hold your liquor,” Waverly mock-punched the taller woman in the arm as she set her uniform down on the table.

“Is that an invitation?” Nicole asked cooly.

“Ye- yeah,” Waverly stammered, before regaining some semblance of dignity. “Yes. But how about no booze this time? Maybe some coffee? And no Wynonna. If that’s okay. I mean we can totally invite her if you -” The officer cut her off.

“That sounds great. Do you think you could drive me home first though? I need some civilian clothes.”  
Waverly agreed, and smiled to herself as the redhead went too change into her work clothes for the ride over. She wasn’t flirting -far from it- but it was a start.

As soon as Nicole was ready, they hopped into Waverly’s jeep. The younger girl fought desperately to digest the butterflies in her stomach, but to no avail. It sounded like a real date this time. You’re an absolute catch, she repeated in her mind, trying to instill some bravery in herself. She soon found out there was no need to worry, as the drive into Purgatory was filled with the easy laughter of the night she had stayed with Nicole.

Once they were on the right street, Nicole cleared her throat.

“So, what were you going to say? At the diner, I mean. Before Wynonna came.” They pulled into the small driveway. “Something about how you’ve “never really felt like this before”?”

The butterflies came back with a vengeance. “Oh, hah, yeah that,” Waverly said, nervously tugging at the hem of her shirt. Then, as if someone had heard her cries for help, her phone rang. And so did Nicole’s. 

The women shot looks to each other as they both picked up. 

When Waverly answered, it was Dolls’ voice on the other end. 

“Earp. Get to the hospital. Your sister’s here.” Then a click.

The blood drained from Waverly’s face as it dawned on her. Wynonna had gone looking for Dolls, and by the sounds of it, she’d found him. Waverly looked over at Nicole as she hung up.

“Nedley. Waverly, I have to go to the hospital. Something happened with Bobo and -”

“Wynonna. I know. Raincheck on the coffee then?”

XXX

It had been three hours in the small waiting room of Purgatory’s hospital. Waverly had watched Nedley, Nicole, and Dolls go in and out of Wynonna’s room at least eight times, and she was fed up with the sympathetic looks she got every time. After the ninth too-kind smile from Nedley, she picked herself up and stormed past the sheriff and into Wynonna’s room.

She took in the sight that was her sister. The heir was covered in bruises and small cuts, and her left arm had been wrapped in a cast. Other than that, she looked fine, if only annoyed at how sober she was.

“You’re an idiot.”

“I know babygirl. But I’m the idiot that got him back.”

Waverly let the tears fall in relief as she embraced Wynonna, eliciting a sharp yelp from the older Earp.

“Ah, okay okay, also the idiot with bruised ribs,” she gently peeled Waverly off of her. “Can you believe these asshats are holding me overnight for that?”

“Good. That way you can’t run away again. At least not for a while, okay?” Waverly grabbed her sister’s hand.

“Sure thing Waves.”

Wynonna spent the next hour filling her in on what happened. Apparently Dolls had given chase because he needed a live revenant for his boss. He’d captured one of Bobo’s right hand men, only to be caught himself. At that point, Wynonna had rushed in, guns blazing, against forty or so revheads. They had barely gotten out and were on their way back with the captured demon, when they had been run off the road. 

“I don’t really remember what happened after that, just woke up here with the cops interrogating poor, injured, me,” Wynonna finished with a mock sigh, earning an eye roll from her little sister. 

“It’s a good thing you were with Officer Perfect and not me, huh?” Wynonna raised her brow at the younger girl.

“Yep,” Waverly said, a little to quickly.

“Watch out for her Waves. Haught’s got the hots for you.”

Thankfully, before Wynonna could notice the blush that painted her sister’s face, Doc rushed in. Waverly looked between the two, sensing it was her time to leave. The brunette got to her feet and shot a wink at her sister before scowling at the tequila bottle Doc held. She grabbed it from the gunslinger on her way out, and shut the door. 

“Hey Waves, can I ride with you back to the station? Nedley’s got me on paperwork for the crash.” 

Waverly nodded and walked with the officer into the parking lot, smiling at the look Nicole gave her when she noticed the alcohol in her hand. 

“Actually, it’s not the first time I’ve left the hospital with someone else’s liquor.”

XXX

Waverly looked back at the clock for the sixth time that minute. 1:24 am. The hours had crawled by, filled with mediocre coffee and rereading all the books she had to find something new about Bobo. 

A small knock at the BBD office door pulled her aching eyes from the page to a tired-looking Nicole. The change of scenery was greatly appreciated.

“Sorry to interrupt but I’m locking up for the night,” Nicole paused and looked down at her feet. “Um, so Wynonna gets out of the hospital tomorrow morning, so I was wondering if you’d, you know, like to stay at my place so you don’t have to get up super early to drive in? It’s totally cool if not. Ah okay sorry this is weird to-”

Waverly cut off the woman mid ramble, grinning at how sweet she was. “That sounds like heaven right now,” Way to be normal Waverly, she thought. 

The officer lit right up. “Awesome!” she pulled the door even wider, sweeping her arms in a grand motion. “After you.”

XXX 

The no-alcohol rule from the morning had quickly been abandoned once the tired women stepped inside. They had the tequila anyways, right? A tipsy Nicole was just a plus.

Waverly’s sides hurt from laughing so much. They had assumed their positions from the other night as soon as they walked in the door and stayed that way, drinking and sharing stories late into the night.

The brunette sighed contentedly. Nicole made her happy. Insanely happy. And maybe it was just the drinking (spoiler alert, it wasn’t) but the youngest Earp very suddenly wanted to kiss Nicole. Over and over again. That’s a little gay, she thought, as bravery took over and she pulled Nicole to her feet with her. Waverly took a step closer, close enough that she could smell the vanilla perfume off of the taller girl. She looked up into Nicole’s eyes. Suddenly, the alcohol-induced courage fell away, leaving her much too sober to be standing this close to the officer.

She glanced away, nervously searching for something to say to cover up what she had nearly done, as her eyes fell on the piano tucked away into the corner.

“Can you play piano?” Waverly asked, a little too loudly.

“Oh, uh yeah. Been playing since I was six,” Nicole replied, looking a little more than dismayed at the change of mood. But the officer was certain Waverly would figure out what she wanted. Hopefully.

Waverly beamed at this. The piano was her favourite, even though she had played the flute through junior high. Some band teachers are bent on crushing your dreams.   
“Can you play something?”

Nicole sighed. It happens every time there’s a piano in the room. But Waverly looked so excited... “Sure. What do you wanna hear?” 

“Your favourite song please.”

Waverly watched in awe as a smirking Nicole sat down and played a scale and jumped right in. Her fingers danced over the keys in a fast pattern, her right hand jumping around the length of the instrument. The song was beautiful, and was over too quickly for Waverly’s liking. The redhead clearly had a lot of talent and loved playing, almost as much as Waverly loved listening. She decided she would watch Nicole play for hours if she’d let her.

Nicole grinned at the astonished girl in front of her. She leaned in close to Waverly, cupping her chin with one hand. “You dropped something.” her dimples flashed as she closed Waverly’s jaw, which had opened in awe. 

Somehow, Waverly willed her mouth to work again. “Play another? Please?” 

Nicole chuckled. “Not tonight Waves. It’s almost 3 am. Tomorrow okay?” The redhead was halfway to her bedroom when the shorter girl spoke up again. 

“Can you teach me?”

Nicole smiled and answered before she thought it through. “I’d love to. Lessons start tomorrow though okay?”

Waverly nodded and watched the officer pad down the hall to her room. Not the worst job, she thought, already daydreaming about spending more time with the gorgeous woman who, she decided, had the nicest smile in the whole universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AH THANKS TO EVERYONE!!! You guys are so awesome, I love reading your comments, they mean so much to me ahhhh!   
> Sorry it took a while for this chapter, I guess I have a life outside of writing? It's pretty lame...
> 
> I hope this was okay I still don't know what I'm doing. Tell me what you want to see too please! I'm running out of ideas.
> 
> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING :)


	4. Get it waves we all believe in you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly wants to impress Haught with her piano skills. Flirty things. I'm still terrible at summaries. 
> 
> Sorry I haven't updated lately, school is crushing the life out of me but what else is new?

Waverly had always been a fast learner, and the piano was no exception. That is, learning that it was a difficult instrument to play. 

She groaned as her fingers slipped off the keys again. Waverly had always considered herself “compact” or “fun-sized”, but unfortunately with short legs came shorter fingers. She took a breath and started again, stumbling over a painfully slow rendition of the C major scale.

Even though she was huffing in frustration, Nicole couldn’t stop staring at her in wonder. The redhead took in everything from the way her brows furrowed when the time came to tuck her thumb under her middle finger, to how her socked feet swung back and forth all the while. Eventually, Waverly completed the scale without a hitch, her face lighting up as she excitedly grabbed the taller girls hand, her smile being mirrored by Nicole. The officer silently thanked whoever made piano benches so small as she praised the youngest Earp.

The morning had floated by, filled with Nicole showing her the basics of playing. Waverly hadn’t known how invested she was in the intricacies of posture until she watched the words tumble from Nicole’s lips. Those lips that look so soft, she thought, as a blush seeped into her cheeks. 

“You’re already giving Tchaikovsky a run for his money,” Nicole winked at the shorter girl as she leaned in closer, throwing in all her charm just to see what would happen. 

Waverly nearly passed out. Her heart began fluttering in her chest at an uncontrollable speed as she fought every urge to pull Nicole’s face those last few centimetres closer. She swallowed hard as she watched the smirking officer get up from the bench and disappear into the hall, leaving Waverly to consider how nice the redhead looked in her pajama shorts. 

Nicole returned a few moments later with two books and a disgruntled Calamity Jane in hand. 

“Sorry, I used these when I was six, but they’re actually really great for beginners. Pick a few songs and I can help you with them next time you come over?”

Waverly began flipping through the pages of music. The enlarged staves were covered in messily drawn counts and letter names, as well as the occasional sticker. She smiled at the thought of a young Haught learning to play. Nicole started talking again, but Waverly didn’t hear her. She was too caught up in thinking about Nicole as a kid and what her kids would look like. And if she wanted them. And how great she probably was with them. And how much she wanted to have a family with her. Mostly the last one, actually, she realized. 

“... But you didn’t hear any of that, did you?” Nicole’s voice slowly dripped back into her mind. She shook her head apologetically, clearing all thoughts of a possible future with the officer at the same time. God, she thought, this girl will be the death of me. Haven’t even asked her on a date yet and I’m already dreaming about a family. 

“Well now that you’re back, I was just saying how I was gonna hop in the shower then we could head to the hospital? If it’s alright, I’ve got a few more questions for Wynonna but then she’ll be all yours. You don’t even have to pay bail this time,” Nicole flashed her a smile, most likely remembering the numerous times Waverly had begrudgingly paid for her sister’s release after Wynonna had had one too many at Shorty’s. 

XXX

Waverly bounced out the door, followed by an all-too-happy Haught. The youngest Earp had been talking animatedly for the last half hour, rambling on about her favourite historical events and, well, anything at all really. Waverly realized that she’d never had someone to talk to about what interested her before. Champ had never really listened to her unless it was about what was for dinner, and Wynonna was, well, Wynonna. Nicole, however, was the perfect audience. She listened and asked questions when she didn’t understand. And that smile that had stayed on her face the whole time, that was more than a plus. 

They were nearly in Nicole’s cruiser when she suddenly cut her ramblings short. 

“What the hell happened to your roses?” she asked, frowning at the completely destroyed bushes. Stems stuck out at awkward angles, not a single petal adorning the ends. The lawn, however, was carpeted in them. 

Nicole laughed. “A pretty girl and a dog about the size as she is visited me a few days ago. The roses just had to be sacrificed.” she shrugged theatrically, laughing even harder at the look of embarrassment on the younger girl’s face. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Nicole cut her off before she could finish the word ‘sorry’. “But do you always make an entrance like that, or am I just special?”

“Oh believe me, you’re very special,” Waverly said sweetly, contemplating jumping in front of the car that rolled past. Even through her embarrassment she managed to catch a glimpse of the officer’s smile stretching up into blushing cheeks as she got in the driver’s seat.

The ride to the hospital was nearly silent with only the radio playing softly in the background. The women took turns looking at each other from the corners of their eyes, hoping to catch the other looking too. Waverly didn’t even notice that her hand had moved until it brushed against Nicole’s. Before she could pull back and start mumbling excuses, the redhead’s slender fingers entwined with her own, squeezing once reassuringly. 

Waverly continued to stare out the window, blushing profusely, while Nicole internally lost her shit, all while keeping her eyes on the road. Waverly pretended not to notice how the car had sped up when her hand stayed where it was. 

As soon as they pulled up to the hospital, Waverly dropped Nicole’s hand. Not because she wanted to, but at the sight that greeted her. Wynonna -still in her hospital gown- stood in front of her jeep, tugging at the driver side door as she lazily waved Peacemaker in the direction of the approaching staff. She waved excitedly at Waverly, pointing at the red vehicle. All Waverly could do was hope she was still drugged enough to be excused.

Nicole pulled to a stop in the parking lot, frowning at the gun in Wynonna’s hand. “Should I…” she cast a questioning look at Waverly.

The brunette sighed. “No, I’ve got it. Thanks for the ride though. And, uh, just to clear it up, my hand was just a little cold so I-well, yeah.”

“Well,” Nicole handed her a slip of paper. “Now you have my number. Just in case your hands are cold again.” she gave Waverly her signature wink, nearly stopping her from rescuing her sister.   
Waverly gathered up all the courage she could before planting a soft kiss on the pink cheek of the officer. With that, she left a dumbstruck Nicole and stalked across the pavement, swinging her hips.

Thankfully, after pleading with some more than agitated hospital staff, Waverly managed to get Wynonna into the jeep and to the homestead. She had been so preoccupied with getting her barely lucid sister into bed that she nearly forgot about what happened with Nicole. Almost. The youngest Earp ended up grinning like an idiot into the soup she made for Wynonna as she thought about holding the officer’s hand again. And that kiss. It was, she decided, to be the first of many. Hopefully.

XXX

Waverly groaned at the sound of Wynonna clapping to the Friends theme for the eighth time that day. Waverly truly loved her sister, but no one, not even another Earp could stand to be stuck in house with her for a whole week. It had been nice at the start, just hanging out and taking care of her sister, but by day three, Waverly had begun to rethink her offer to watch over the heir. Her punishment would only last for two more days, then it would be back to BBD. At least she can go to the bathroom herself now, the youngest Earp thought as she pulled out her phone. She needed to get out of the house and do something, anything at all. She fired off a text to Gus, asking if she needed an extra set of hands at Shorty’s.

The answer came back almost instantly. Her aunt was swamped. Eager to get out, she pressed a quick kiss to Wynonna’s forehead and explained her plans as she pulled on her boots. 

Gus hadn’t exaggerated when she said the bar was packed. There wasn’t an empty chair or hand not clutching some sort of drink in the building. Waverly cut through the crowd, settling behind the bar with a small smile at her aunt. The chaos was a welcome change from the past few days. Waverly soon settled into her routine from her days as a barmaid, floating between stumbling patrons and drunken citizens turned dancers, wiping down the bar top like a champ when there was a spill, and of course unleashing her classic ‘smile and wave’. 

Although the havoc was a great distraction, she nearly collapsed as soon as Gus chased the last customer from the premises. Waverly grabbed the nearest piece of furniture and sat down heavily. She soon noticed that she was sitting at the worn bench of the piano, and slowly but surely worked through the C major scale and even the classic, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. It wasn’t until she heard the clapping behind her that she realized that Gus had been watching. 

“Where’d you learn that?” The older woman raised a greying eyebrow.

“Oh, um, I…” Have an incredibly sexy teacher? Think I’m a little bit gay? Would let Nicole Haught play me like a piano anytime she wants? Somehow, none of these seemed right to say, so she stuck with, “Started some lessons. Still have lots to learn though. I, ah, should probably check on ‘Nonna, huh?” she hurried out of the bar, hoping that her blushing cheeks hadn’t given anything away. 

Gus McCready stood stock still in the middle of Shorty’s, wondering two things: who was making Waverly so happy that she broke into a dorky smile when she thought of them, and how hard would she have to hit them if they hurt her niece. 

XXX 

Waverly had returned to Shorty’s every night that week after the crowds had cleared out, and got to work on learning some songs from Nicole’s books. Even after longs days of BBD work and Wynonna complaining loudly, she stayed into the early hours of the morning, slowly mastering ten simple songs. 

She was eager to impress Nicole, and as she hadn’t seen her much that whole week, she decided to finally put her number to use. 

W: Hey would you like to swing by Shorty’s @ 10? From your favourite piano student ;)

N: Sounds good to me - your favourite piano teacher

Waverly grinned and got back to practicing. It would just be her and Nicole, as Shorty’s was closed, and Waverly couldn’t think of a better way to spend her evening. Time flew by, filled with the youngest Earp rearranging things so they were perfect, nervously wiping down the piano keys, and downing a few shots to make sure she was ready for the evening. 

She continuously glanced at the clock as soon as it turned to ten, eagerly awaiting the arrival of her knight in shining khakis. Five, ten, fifteen minutes passed. Waverly nearly combusted when the clock turned to 10:16 , but thankfully the door opened before the brunette burst into flames. 

“Sorry I’m late, there was a call and- oh hi,” the last of the redhead’s words ended up being mumbled into Waverly’s hair as she pulled Nicole in for a quick hug. 

Waverly assured her that it really was fine as she boldly led Nicole by the hand to the piano. Once the taller woman was seated at the bench, Waverly reached behind the bartop and pulled a small pot out. She proudly displayed it to the officer, straightening the small bow on the front a little.

“I felt kinda terrible about your roses so I got you another,” she said, regretting her whole plan and looking around for the closest window to swan dive from. 

Nicole’s face lit up at the sight of the small plant. “Waves you didn’t have to. But I’m taking it anyways,” she winked, setting it beside the piano. “Lets see what you remember.”

Waverly sat down and immediately started playing, smiling at the surprised look that she saw from the corner of her eye. Nicole had clearly not expected her to practice. Once she had finished, she looked over to the beaming officer who began showering her with praise. Sheepishly, Nicole slid her hand into her pocket and pulled out a small sheet of smiley face stickers. She pressed one onto the page beside the one that six year-old Nicole had placed there. Waverly couldn’t help but laugh softly at how sweet Nicole looked. 

A few measures into the second song, she felt a warm hand on her back, soft fingertips just barely brushing against the skin that poked out from under her crop top. 

“A little straighter,” Nicole pushed slightly against her spine as Waverly suddenly became acutely aware of the fact that Nicole was still in her uniform and still looking as hot as ever. 

Her fingers stilled on the keys as she turned to look at the taller woman. “It’s kinda hard to be straight around you officer,” she murmured, envisioning slamming her head right into the keys. It had just slipped out. Waverly swallowed hard. She was in it now, no backing out. 

Nicole’s face flushed a dark red. “Wh-what?” 

Waverly could feel the flustered woman’s hand start to drift away and acted fast. She caught it, placing it back where it was moments before. Nicole kept it there as she met Waverly’s eyes. Waverly lightly grabbed on to Nicole’s collar, smiling slightly.

“What I meant to say is, I like you. A lot. And this whole ‘flirty friends’ thing isn’t cutting it for me,” Waverly said, swallowing hard. 

Nicole returned her smile with blushing cheeks and prominent dimples. “I like you a lot too Waves.”

After gathering all her courage, Waverly tugged at Nicole’s collar, beckoning her closer. But instead of soft lips meeting her own, Nicole jumped backwards, nearly toppling off the bench. Waverly’s head snapped to the side as the crack of the door slamming shut sounded throughout the room, accompanied by thudding boots. Wynonna stumbled into the bar, clearly drunk, and froze. The heir narrowed her eyes, darting them between the blushing women suspiciously.

“What’re you doing here Waves?” her brows furrowed further.

“Not Nicole, that’s for sure, yep,” Waverly blurted as she wondered how fast she could down the rat poison that was kept in the back room.

Wynonna’s brows shot up as she grabbed a full bottle of whiskey from the bar. “Right. I wish I had a best friend to hang with,” her words bumped into each other, slurred by the alcohol the eldest Earp had already consumed. She turned on her heel, yelling over her shoulder that she wouldn’t be back to the homestead. 

As soon as the door shut behind her, Nicole broke into a fit of laughter, earning a light slap on the thigh from Waverly. Sure, it wasn’t her proudest moment, but in her defence she had been caught off guard when her sister nearly walking in on them kissing. Waverly tried her best to glare at the laughing officer but quickly learned that would be impossible. She started to laugh too, more at the adorable snorts and giggles escaping the redhead’s mouth than her witty answer from earlier. 

“So,” Nicole said when she stopped laughing to admire Waverly’s face. “I think we were doing something… like this?” she placed her hand on Waverly’s back again, pulling her closer on the bench. 

Waverly grinned. “Yeah, I wasn’t quite finished.” her hands found Nicole’s collar once again and finally closed the space between them. 

When their lips met, it was something entirely new to Waverly. Sure, she knew that Champ had never been the best in the kissing department but this was completely different. When Nicole eventually pulled away, two things became very clear to Waverly: Nicole Haught was going to be the death of her, and she was completely okay with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOAH THERE THANKS FOR READING!   
> Seriously it means so much, also leave a comment if that's your thing, I love reading them, they never fail to make my day.
> 
> I feel like the writing has just gotten worse and I'm sorry. 
> 
> I've got plans for the next chapter and I'm hoping to get it up quickly and also have it a little longer. 
> 
> Also June 20th yeah? I'm already shitting my pants, don't worry guys. 
> 
> As always, I have no clue what I'm doing and THANK YOU FOR READING YOU'RE PRETTY RAD


	5. Yep there's an office scene here folks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some dumb ideas that came to me. Not really sure if any of it's good, but it's late (or early) here and I can't sleep so I'm going with this.

Waverly had never thrown something harder in her entire life. But Nicole had boasted about her ability to catch anything, anytime, and goddammit Waverly was going to fact check. 

“Think fast gorgeous!” she yelled into the nearly empty police station as she hurled a grape at the back of Nicole’s head. 

All she saw was a flash of red hair as the officer’s chair swiveled around to face her. Nicole caught it with ease and popped it into her mouth with a wink before turning to face Chrissy again. Waverly smiled as both women laughed. So far, only Chrissy knew about Waverly and Nicole doing whatever it was that they were doing. What they had been doing mostly consisted of kisses stolen in the storage closet of the station, but Waverly didn’t mind. The youngest Nedley had been alerted moments after Nicole left Shorty’s, and waited two whole weeks before dropping in to grill the new deputy. 

‘This one is good’, Chrissy mouthed over Nicole’s head.

‘She’s mine’, Waverly mouthed back, holding her mock glare only for a few seconds before she broke into a smile again. 

Waverly walked over to Nicole’s desk and leaned against it, smiling sweetly at the officer, who was still engaged in conversation with Chrissy. Waverly was happy to watch two of her favourite people get along so well, however, after glancing at the clock, the youngest Earp became considerably less happy. Thankfully, she didn’t have to kick Chrissy more than twice for her to realize Nicole’s shift was over. 

“I should get going. Don’t forget what I said, Haught dog,” Chrissy glared as Nicole blanched, clearly remembering whatever the sheriff’s daughter had threatened her with. “See ya later Waves,” she said as she pulled her oldest friend into a tight hug. “Have safe sex!” Chrissy yelped as Waverly hit her on the shoulder, embarrassedly shoving her at the door. 

Waverly turned back to the redhead, who was sporting her dimples on either side of her brilliant smile. 

“So, I was thinking maybe we could go back to the homestead? If we’re quick, we could have it all to ourselves for a couple hours…” Waverly trailed off, casting a sly glance at her officer. 

Nicole grinned. “Let’s get out of here.” 

After waiting impatiently for Nicole to clock out and say hi to Lonnie, Waverly happily bounced out of the station, followed by a lovestruck Officer Haught. They clambered into the red jeep. Soon, they were out of the small town but not soon enough for Waverly. Wynonna would be home in two hours, and dammit, Waverly planned to use her time wisely. 

Nicole placed her hand on Waverly’s thigh, starting her from her thoughts. “Waves, slow down, you’re nearly twenty over the limit!”

“Oh yeah. Sorry. Arrest me if you must officer,” Waverly eased off the gas and sighed theatrically, smiling apologetically at Nicole. 

“Hmm. Didn’t think you’d be asking for me to cuff you quite yet…” Nicole just laughed as Waverly embarrassedly looked back at the road, her cheeks flushing pink. “I’m just kidding, don’t worry.”

They arrived at the homestead in record time. After checking for any signs of her sister, Waverly pulled Nicole up the steps and began fumbling with her keys. Once they were inside, she wasted no time, pulling Nicole down for a heated kiss before the taller woman could even take her boots off. 

Somehow, they made their way into the living room before Nicole broke the kiss, frowning deeply. 

“What’s wrong?” Waverly asked as Nicole’s eyes narrowed on something behind her. 

“I can’t believe you. You’ve had a Switch this whole time and didn’t tell me?” Nicole feigned a look of hurt as Waverly laughed at the woman who was becoming cuter by the second.

“Do you have the new Mario Kart?”

Waverly nodded, smiling at the look that spread across the officer’s face. 

“HELL YEAH,” Nicole scooped Waverly up, slinging the giggling girl over her shoulder. “God I love you so much!” 

Nicole froze as she realized what had slipped out. Waverly was quick to act though, sliding down so she was on her feet again before replying, “Love you too.” 

They both smiled widely before Waverly said, “Now get ready to have your ass handed to you Haught shot.”

It only took one race for Waverly to realize that Nicole, although she liked the game, was painfully bad at it. Nicole seemed to have come to the same conclusion, as halfway through the second race she had resorted to less conventional tactics. Waverly was one lap away from sweet victory when Nicole suddenly began to kiss her, starting at her cheek and moving down her neck. Needless to say, the youngest Earp was a little distracted, and dropped her controller. Nicole was more interesting anyways. 

Waverly didn’t realize that although lacking in racing skills, Nicole was very good at multitasking. So good, in fact, that the brunette didn’t even notice that she had completed the course. 

Waverly glared at Nicole. “Cheater,” she hissed.

“I can make it up to you,” Nicole smirked into the kiss, pushing Waverly back onto the couch slightly. 

Waverly reached towards Nicole’s leg, eagerly pulling her closer, when the distinctive smell of whiskey and stomping of boots announced the infamous Wynonna Earp’s presence. Waverly quickly pulled away, nervously looking up at her sister, trying to think of excuses for an officer of the law to be pinning her to their couch while the Mario Kart theme blared in the background. 

Thankfully, before she could begin to bluff her way out of coming out, Wynonna started to talk. 

“Gettt off my gamesss Haught ass,” Wynonna started to stumble out of the room. “Night babygirl.” It was clear that the heir was blackout drunk. 

For the first time in her life, Waverly was grateful her sister was a functioning alcoholic. 

XXX 

The officer slapped her hand down onto the table in the break room. “You’ve never slow danced before?” Nicole looked incredulously at Waverly.

“I guess not. Champ never showed up for prom and we never really danced after that..” Waverly trailed off as Nicole’s mouth set into a hard line. 

“Stand up.” 

“Nicole-” Waverly began to protest, looking longingly at her half finished sandwich. It only took one look at Nicole’s cop glare™ for her to realize she didn’t have a choice.

Nicole took out her phone, and after scrolling through her music she set it down on the table. A soft tune began to sound as the officer guided Waverly’s hands to her shoulders.

“There, not so bad huh?” Nicole murmured as she placed her hands on Waverly’s waist.

They swayed to the beat, the song filling the silence of the station’s break room with a gentle baseline and sweet lilting voice. Both women forgot about their half-finished lunches, instead getting lost in the other’s eyes. That is, until Wynonna pushed through the door, interrupting yet again, her eyes narrowing at the pair. Waverly groaned slightly as she drew back from the redhead. This time, Nicole coughed up an excuse. 

“Uh, Champ never danced with Waverly, so I was showing her. So she’d know.”

Wynonna turned to her sister. “He never danced with you?”

Waverly shook her her head, praying Wynonna wouldn’t piece together all the times she’d walked in on them. 

“What a cock,” Wynonna grumbled and turned on her heel. “You’re a good friend Haught-on-the-trail. And lord knows Waverly could use all the help she could get finding a new man.” With that, Wynonna stalked out of the room, muttering about how she’d “skin that Barbie doll of a boy alive”. 

Waverly sighed once the door had closed again. “I should make sure she doesn’t actually do that. There’s no way to know with ‘Nonna.” She pressed a chaste kiss to her officer’s lips, begrudgingly chasing after her sister. 

XXX

Waverly was ready to explode. It seemed as if every force of nature was keeping her away from Nicole, and after a week of demon-chasing, the youngest Earp was more than fed up. 

She glanced at her watch again, double checking that it was indeed happy hour at Shorty’s. The brunette continued to stomp right up to Nicole’s desk, determination driving her feet forward. 

“Nedley’s out?” she asked the officer, who was clearly surprised to see a decisive-looking Earp after a whole week.   
“Hello to you too. Yes he’s out. What’s up? I haven’t seen you in-” Nicole couldn’t even finish her sentence, as the brunette had already began to tug her towards Nedley’s office. 

Waverly rushed into the room, shutting the door behind them with a little too much force, and then began to shut the blinds at a furious pace. Once she was satisfied with her work, she turned back to Nicole. 

“God, I’ve missed you,” she murmured as she pulled her officer down for a long kiss that was eagerly received. 

Waverly fell back onto the couch with Nicole crashing down on top of her. 

After a few minutes, she pulled back, gasping for breath. 

“What’s wrong?” Nicole asked worriedly. 

“No no everything’s great. Amazing. You’re just so… ahhhh,” Waverly gave up on trying to form words as the redhead’s dimples made an appearance. She could already feel her heart melting.

“I tend to have that effect on people,” Nicole smiled at the girl who was very quickly becoming putty beneath her.

Waverly rolled her eyes. “Oh, swoon, and you’re so humble too.”

The taller girl leaned in again. Waverly didn’t waste any time, meeting her lips as she grabbed Nicole’s face, pulling her as close as she could get from their awkward angle on the couch. 

Waverly had never really understood the “deer in the headlights” look. Until now. In fact, she understood it so well that she deemed “Waverly Earp being gay on a couch” a much more accurate term. Painfully accurate, unfortunately. 

She looked to the side at her sister, who stood in the doorway with a dumbfounded look on her face. Wynonna was pretty much choking on her afternoon whiskey.

“Wynonna! Hi…” Waverly sent her as dignified a smile as she could, considering she was pinned beneath a terrified-looking Nicole. 

A few beats of silence passed, filled only with equal amounts confusion and sheer horror.

“So you’re… Gay?” Wynonna managed to choke out.

“A little,” Waverly said cautiously as Nicole’s eyebrows hit the ceiling. The youngest Earp huffed. “Okay, a lot.”

“Right…” A frown crossed the heir’s face, who turned sharply, stomping out of the station. 

All Waverly could do was stare at the spot her sister had been only seconds ago as hurt began to slice through her. She couldn’t decide what was worse: that Wynonna had run away from her or that she believed she would’ve stayed. 

Nicole pulled the shorter girl to her feet, and just in time, as tears began to roll down her cheeks. The redhead murmured something into her hair, but Waverly couldn’t hear her. She could only see Wynonna’s face, covered in what must be hurt as she stormed out. It’s not fair, she thought. She had just gotten Wynonna back, had just became truly happy with Nicole, when life decided to knock her down again. And then kick her. Followed by a suplex. 

She let Nicole pull her out of the station by the hand and into her cruiser. She numbly watched as the redhead brought her into her house, then set her on the couch, promptly wrapping her in a blanket and pulling her into her lap.

“It’s okay baby, I’m here. I’m here.” 

Waverly fell into a fitful sleep as Nicole ran her fingers through her hair, soft words escaping her lips as she tried to comfort the beautiful girl in her lap. 

They stayed like that for just over an hour, until a loud crash from the kitchen followed by a string of curses startled them. Nicole told Waverly to stay put as she reached for her discarded duty belt, pulling the gun from it’s holster. All Waverly could do was watch in fear as the older woman disappeared around the corner. 

A muffled “whoa there officer, gun down please” sounded from the kitchen. Waverly frowned. It sounded like Wynonna. A more clear “get the fuck out of my house” was heard a beat later. Tears threatened to fall again as her sister rounded the corner moments later, followed by a fuming Haught. 

Wynonna thrust a package at Waverly, a genuine smile covering her face. 

Waverly didn’t meet her eyes, just looked down at the package. A smile immediately stretched across her face. 

“Have a gay day? Really? You’re losing your touch,” Waverly teased as she set the cake aside, embracing her sister eagerly. 

After she pulled away, Wynonna reached behind her, producing a small pride flag with a grin. 

Even if her sister had just broken into a cop’s house, Waverly decided right then and there she wasn’t letting her leave again any time soon. 

Wynonna pulled her in for another hug. “Love ya babygirl.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Hey so that happened. I hope you like it? I liked writing it (sorry the writing wasn't really great but hey, thought that counts huh?)
> 
> Also, I could never write a homophobic Wynonna without shooting myself so don't worry. I was going for a sweet ending and I hope I nailed it?
> 
> You guys! As of right now there's nearly 200 kudos and over 2600 hits! THIS IS INSANE. You are all so wonderful and I want to thank you for leaving your lovely comments and reading!
> 
> Side note: what do you want next? I'm afraid I've run out of ideas
> 
> THANK YOU AGAIN IT MEANS SO MUCH!!!


	6. Oooh date night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole takes Waverly out for a date but in true Earp fashion, Waverly can't get rid of any past demons.
> 
>  
> 
> Also it has been awhile and a half since I've posted. Sorry folks, I've been parked at procrastination station.

Waverly awoke to the sound of the world ending. Or Haught slipping and dropping a plate right beside her head. The noise would have scared her the same either way. 

Waverly yelped and sat straight up, only to knock her head into Nicole’s. A slew of Latin curses fell from her mouth as she rubbed her throbbing forehead. 

“Sorry! Oh Waves I’m so sorry. I was bringing you some breakfast and you were so cute sleeping so I wasn’t looking, and CJ was right there and… What’re you smiling about?” 

Waverly blushed slightly as she continued to take in the sight that was her girlfriend. Nicole was kneeling beside the bed, clutching a mangled bagel, surrounded by the remains of a plate. But that wasn’t all Waverly was looking at. The brunette couldn’t help but notice that her officer was already in uniform, and damn, she looked, well, haught. My pants must be on sale, she thought, because they’re about to be 100% off. 

“Uh, Waves, you alright? I know it’s kinda broken now but I brought you a bagel…” Nicole trailed off as the smaller girl pulled her up onto the bed and into a searing kiss. “Morning to you too.” Nicole grinned as she pulled away. 

Waverly groaned. “Christ, what time is it?”

“7 o’clock sharp baby. Crime doesn’t sleep in,” said the redhead as she gently kissed Waverly’s aching forehead. 

Waverly tiredly wiped sleep away as Nicole rolled off the bed and left the room, coming back moments later, armed with a hand broom and dustpan. She continued to fight off sleep from the comfort of Nicole’s bed as the taller woman began to clean the bits of plate from the floor. When the officer had finished, she bent over and pressed a light kiss to Waverly’s lips, making her heart beat faster all the same. 

“I’ve got to go, but you can hang out here for a while if you like?” Nicole said, smiling down at her half-asleep girlfriend. 

“No no, I should probably talk to Wynonna… again.” Waverly winced, thinking back to how her sister had promptly left out the window again, telling Waverly to ‘GET IT’. “Speaking of which, now that she knows, maybe we could go for a real date sometime?”

The redhead pretended to mull it over before breaking into a smile. “That can be arranged. I’ll see you at 6.”

With that, she was off, leaving Waverly to wonder what would be in store that night.

XXX

“Congrats on getting railed by the Haught Train,” Waverly rolled her eyes as she threw the note that was attached to her coffee in the bin. The youngest Earp didn’t have to turn around to know how big Wynonna’s grin was. 

The heir plopped herself in the chair across from Waverly excitedly. “Soooooo. How was, you know…” She trailed off, opting to lewdly mime with her finger going in and out of the hole of a doughnut she had picked up.

Waverly slapped Wynonna’s shoulder, turning a deep shade of red. “Jeez ‘Nonna, no there wasn’t any of… that.” She gestured at the doughnut vaguely. 

“Oooh but you wish there was.” 

“Wynonna!” Waverly was suddenly very glad BBD was so secretive. Certainly not because Wynonna was right. No that wasn’t the case, Waverly decided as she turned to some files, burying her blush in the paper. 

Thankfully the eldest Earp soon busied herself with rummaging through the different boxes that sat around the room, no doubt on the hunt for some ever-elusive whiskey. Waverly had just started to get into the files for the day when her phone went off, pulling her from a world of demons and curses for a moment.

N: Wear something nice for tonight. I’ll pick you up @ the homestead?

W: Sounds like a plan :)

Waverly openly cringed at her use of smiley faces as she set her phone down. Within seconds, Wynonna had appeared over her shoulder, asking for Nicole’s nudes. Waverly sighed. 

“Go ask for them yourself.”

XXX

Waverly glanced at her phone again. And again. She had been sitting on the couch in the homestead for years now. Or fifteen minutes. Who cares, Waverly thought. Time isn’t really exact. Or maybe it was. 

She stood and smoothed out her dress, praying that her phone was just behind. By a lot. Needless to say, she was beyond stressed.

Oh god, she thought. What if she stood me up? What if she doesn’t think I’m really into this? Jesus, what if she meant a DIFFERENT homestead?

A knock from the door interrupted her thoughts and sent her springing forward. She opened the door, only to be greeted by a more than disheveled Officer Haught. The taller woman was dressed in a gorgeous purple dress that fit well in ALL the right places. However, the elegant look stopped there. The redhead’s hair flicked up messily in odd spots and her bare arms were covered in tiny scratches. Adding to the look was a crumpled bouquet of flowers that were abashedly thrust out in Waverly’s direction. 

“Baby, I am so so sor-” Waverly cut her off with a quick kiss before she could explain herself.

“Hey, it’s okay, you’re here now. And you look gorgeous, even with all the cowlicks.”

Nicole laughed as she looked at Waverly for real this time. She stopped laughing as a blush crept over her face, along with an amazed look. 

“And you look…. Oh god wow,” Nicole finally breathed out.

Waverly waited a beat before leading her officer out of the door. “How about you explain yourself in the car?” the youngest Earp asked, smirking when she heard a mumbled “Yes ma’am” from behind her. 

XXX

“So you were late because you saved Tucker? As in Tucker Gardner? Baby, I know you’re new but you have common sense,” Waverly stared hard at her girlfriend as they pulled up to some fancy restaurant in the outskirts of Calgary. 

“Trust me, I know exactly who Tucker is.” Nicole sighed as she put her car into park. “If I had a dime for every time I tried to arrest him, I could pay the bail!”

All thoughts of the not-so-friendly neighbourhood pervert vanished as Waverly looked at the restaurant that loomed in front of them. She subconsciously began to tug at her dress, already stressing about if she was fancy enough for this place. 

Nicole gently grabbed her hand. “You are a vision, Waverly Earp. But if this isn’t your style we can go back.”

“No no, this is beyond perfect. I- I’ve always wanted to be taken out on a real date.” Waverly blushed and looked down at her hands embarrassedly. 

A wide smile broke across the redhead’s face, showing off both dimples in the process. “Well it’s settled then. Shall we?”

The restaurant was even more grandiose on the inside. Waverly marveled at everything, especially the ceiling, which looked like it might fall from the weight of all the chandeliers that hung from it. A tug on her hand brought her back into the present as she followed Nicole and the host to a table, already set with a bottle of nice wine and silverware that looked more expensive than the whole homestead. They sat down and started to flip through the menus.   
“They have geoduck!” Waverly said excitedly. 

Nicole chuckled. “That’s why I pick-” She cut herself off as her eyes caught something behind Waverly. The officer’s shoulders slumped considerably as she began to speak in a low voice. “Check your six gorgeous.”

Waverly turned around and immediately felt her eyes begin to roll. Making his way determinedly to their table was none other than Champ Hardy, clad in a full suit. Waverly sighed as she thought back to all the ignored calls and texts she had on her phone from the boy-man. He really couldn’t take a hint. Her annoyance quickly turned to anger as she realized he was certain to ruin her night with Nicole. The taller woman seemed to have picked up in Waverly’s change of mood as she dropped her defencive gaze, opting instead to smirk into her wine glass. 

As soon as a rather pouty Champ got to their table, Waverly rounded on him. “What are you doing here Champ?” 

“I work here. It’s pretty high class,” Champ crowed, proudly fixing his lopsided bowtie.

Waverly’s temper heightened at the sight of that goddamn satisfied smirk, combined with how ridiculous he looked in the suit. “Well, you can put a flower in an asshole, but that doesn’t make it a vase.”

A god awful sound came from Nicole’s side of the table as she choked on her wine, then sent a reassuring thumbs up to her girlfriend. Waverly took the encouragement.

Champ opened his mouth, clearly about to rant about how disgusted he was, when the host motioned him over to another table. Dodged that bullet, Waverly thought, thanking whatever deities were listening.

Waverly, still feeling the effects of her rage, turned back to Nicole. “Sorry, but we need to go. Now.”

“Already ahead of you,” Nicole said as she grabbed the wine bottle off the table, smiling at her spitfire girlfriend. 

They left the restaurant and made a beeline for Nicole’s car. “I am so sorry Waves, I thought we were far enough from Purgatory to get away from the crazy for one night. Maybe I can make it up to you some other time? Romantic road trip to Edmonton? That better be far enough.” 

Waverly grinned at her girlfriend, pulling her in for a kiss. “ That sounds great, but can we go to the homestead now?” Said the youngest Earp, definitely not thinking about how she had asked Wynonna to be out all night.

“You betcha.” Nicole unlocked the doors. “Do you wanna pick something up to eat on the way?”

Ooh, I can think of a few things to eat, Waverly thought. Instead of voicing her idea, she kissed Nicole again, this time holding her officer there much longer. 

Once they pulled apart, Nicole nodded dumbly as a blush spread across her face. “Sounds good. Straight back. ASAP.”

The pair clambered into the car and wasted no time leaving the city. Waverly thought Nicole might have to ticket herself given how fast she was going. Waverly calmly placed a hand on her girlfriend’s thigh, reminding her of the speed. The car briefly sped up even more when Nicole realized where her hand was, but eventually slowed down.

The rest of the drive was enjoyable, the gentle curves in the road and the soft music from the radio dispelling any thoughts of Champ the chump. 

Waverly looked over at Nicole as the officer began to sing softly along with the radio. It was far from perfect, but Waverly loved it all the same. Maybe everything would work out, she thought. Her life was falling into place for the first time ever, and she was beyond happy. In fact, both women were so caught up in the sweet atmosphere, that neither one registered the pair of headlights coming straight at them. Not until the cars collided, that is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh-oh spaghetti-o.
> 
>  
> 
> THANKS FOR READING!
> 
> You guys this is crazy and I love reading all your comments it really means the world to me so leave one if that's your thing.
> 
> The next chapter won't be as fluffy btw.
> 
> Sorry again for leaving it so long, I'll try to get the next one out soonish. 
> 
> Hope you liked it :)
> 
> YOU GUYS ARE THE ACTUAL BEST thank you so much for reading!


	7. Ruh Roh Scoob That's a Car Crash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uh-oh a car crash. But where is Nicole?
> 
> Also I'm super sorry it took me so long to get this one out. I've had major writer's block for the longest time. 
> 
> Hope you like it :)

Pain. That was the first thing Waverly felt when she came to. 

It took a few seconds, but she managed to crack open her eyes. Blood. A lot of it. She closed them again.

Footsteps began to echo around her as a voice reached her ears. 

“Waverly. Waverly stay with me.” It wasn’t right. “I am so sorry babe.” She didn’t need to open her eyes to confirm it. “Bobo said you wouldn’t get hurt. Promised it. Said only the cop would. That I’d get you back.” Champ pulled her aching body towards him, heedless of her injuries. 

The youngest Earp opened her eyes again and looked around frantically, as she willed her arms to push him away. To pull her further from the tangled wreck of metal. To reach out and find Nicole’s hand. But she couldn’t. Her arms stayed where they were. Her body didn’t move, just stayed splayed out painfully in Champ’s lap. And she didn’t find Nicole, no matter how many times she raked her eyes over the scene. She was gone. 

Time passed. Twenty, thirty, forty minutes. Then the sirens. They scraped against her ears as the blood pooled around her head. The thought of how sticky her hair would be came and passed. 

Onto the stretcher. People were yelling. Clumsy, sweaty hands stayed entwined with hers. The wrong hands.

The doors slammed shut. The hands left. Less yelling. Thank god. Her ears were beginning to ache from all the noise. 

A coolness ran up her arms, making her body sigh. Much better. 

Her eyes opened again, just catching glimpses of things. A hand here, a beeping machine there. No matter where she looked, there was light. A sterile, artificial kind, but light nonetheless.

Waverly welcomed it. Nightmares are always better in the light.

XXX

Time passed again. Maybe a week this time. Maybe not. It was all the same to Waverly.

The time was filled like clockwork. Nurses looked her over. Nice words fell from their mouths. They tell her to eat. She doesn’t. Doctors looked her over. They tell her to eat. She doesn’t. They tell her she’ll be alright. That she only lost a lot of blood. That everything would be better if she ate. Waverly knows it won’t. Knows that the only thing that would help is Nicole. Her brave officer who was taken -or worse- because of her. So she doesn’t eat. Doesn't talk, not even when Doc comes to tell her some wild story. Not when Dolls comes in with an uncharacteristically happy smile and ‘progress reports’. Not even when Wynonna comes in, hot after yelling at Nedley or a doctor or some other unlucky passerby. 

All Waverly could do was wait.

XXX

The day she was discharged, Wynonna brought home a tub of ice cream and two spoons.

“We’ll find her. You picked a smart one, Waves. Tough too. We’ll bring your girl home.”

The day she was discharged, Waverly spoke again. 

“You won’t bring her home.” Her voice cracked, but she continued before Wynonna could interject. “I will.”

No one said anything the next day when the youngest Earp ignored every doctor’s note and stalked into the BBD office.

XXX

It took every ounce of her self control to stop Wynonna from ripping Champ apart when they found him two days later. But they needed information. The ripping would be Waverly’s job. Eventually.

Waverly was proud of herself. She didn’t yell when they found him in some relative’s basement in Lethbridge. She didn’t scream when he cried at the sight of handcuffs. She didn’t even say anything the whole car ride back. She just sat beside Dolls in the front as Doc and Wynonna shot all sorts of insults at Champ from either side of him in the backseat. 

He was bawling by the time they made it back to Purgatory.

Waverly looked at him for the first time when they entered the BBD office again. Dolls pushed him down into a chair and held him still as Waverly shifted her scathing gaze to the boy-man. 

“Where. Is. She.” The youngest Earp’s throat tightened, anger burning hot and dry across her body.

Champ was in hysterics. All he could get out between sobs was “I’m sorry”. Over and over again, as snot and tears began to flow freely onto his shirt. At the half hour mark he vomited. He did it again fifteen minutes later. By the time an hour had passed, the most substantial evidence they had was on what he had for lunch. Waverly had never been more disgusted before.

Slowly, the brunette turned and left the office, slamming the door hard behind her. For the first time since the crash, she cried. She sat there for what felt like hours as the tears left her eyes, coming down faster than her fumbling fingers could push them away. The tears carried away the last of any hope her hollowed out body had left. 

Eventually someone came. There were hands under her arms and then she was on her feet and pulled into a hug. She fought it at first, tried to push her sister away. Wynonna couldn’t fix this. No one could. Waverly desperately pushed against the pudgy more-than-overweight body. Definitely not Wynonna. When she opened her tear-stung eyes, she saw the exact face she saw after the seven attacked the homestead. Randy Nedley held her that night as he did now, a quiet understanding look on his face. Waverly leaned back into his arms, burying her face in the shoulder of the sheriff. 

She let herself be led to his office and sat down silently across from Randy as he eased into his chair.

He sighed heavily before beginning to speak. “You know me. I won’t tell you a lie to make things easier. No sense in that. So believe me when I say that Nicole is coming back. She’s a good cop Waverly. A great one. And she’s lucky to have you. Make sure she knows that when you get her back.”

Waverly blanched as the sheriff stood again. She knew word got around fast in a small town but hadn’t really thought everyone knew. She had been a little preoccupied lately anyways. 

Before he left the office, Nedley paused. “One more thing: does Haught need to pay to get my damn couch cleaned?” 

Waverly nearly groaned out loud. “Not yet, sir.”

A smile ghosted her lips at the choking sound that came from his lumbering form as he made his exit. 

XXX

Another week passed. No leads. No help from Champ. And no Nicole.

Waverly grunted as she let loose another volley of punches on the punching bag in front of her, nearly passing out in the process. Or maybe she missed. The youngest Earp was halfway through a bottle of whiskey and still going strong, so her spacial awareness was subpar to say the least. At least now she couldn’t feel the bruises that were forming on her knuckles. She couldn’t even feel the sadness that had taken root in her chest after the crash.

Another swig. Another flurry of fists in the direction of the bag. Maybe it was the whiskey but maybe it was her Earp-level badassery that let her feel nothing. Waverly hoped it was the latter.

Who was Nicole anyways, she thought, fighting to keep what little she had in her stomach from making a reappearance. Just a woman she hadn’t known for that long, really. Why did she care she was gone? Her life would go on. Nicole was a new part of her life. She would move on. She would forget the gorgeous cop who sauntered into her life, dimples in full bloom. Waverly drunkenly decided right then and there that she would forget everything about Nicole Haught. Including that damn smile. And the sweetness in her voice. And especially the way she made her feel like a teen stumbling through a first crush, getting struck by her beauty with every glance over her shoulder or not-so-sly wink. 

Shit, she thought, sinking to the padded floor in the BBD training room. I’m not getting over this one. Not ever. 

The youngest Earp slipped into a whiskey-tinged sleep right there on the floor. She would find Nicole. She had to.

XXX

The tears hadn’t even dried from her cheeks before Wynonna shook her awake. 

“Waves! Waves, wake up! We know where Haught sauce is! We found your girl.”

Waverly was up as soon as the words had left her sister’s mouth. She immediately sprinted to the gun safe in the office and retrieved her shotgun, stuffing all the ammo she could into her pockets. The Earp girls made it out into the cool night and the waiting van in record time, and it took no time for Dolls to get his foot on the gas. He drove right into the forest north of town and stopped a car length away from a large trap door and some shadows that were hunched on top of it.

Waverly was out of the van before anyone got a word out. Thankfully, Dolls, Doc, and Wynonna weren’t far behind her.

“Bobo,” She snarled at the demon that was hunched over the officer. Her officer. 

“Waverly. And friends,” Bobo’s voice soured as he took in the ragged group before him. “I believe it’s time to make a deal. One officer Haught for one lead to take me outside of this triangle forever. It’s really not that hard.”

Waverly’s eyes had never left the bloodied, but alive, lump that was her girlfriend. She tuned the demon out as he continued to drawl on. The woman she loved was right there, bleeding, and he had the gall to monologue. 

Fortunately, Wynonna was already tired of the theatrics. “Eat shit, dong breath.” The bullet whistled past Nicole’s head and cut Bobo off mid-gloat.

Everyone just watched in stunned silence as Bobo was dragged into hell, letting loose a deafening scream. 

Doc was the first to say anything. “Well. That was easy.”

Waverly dropped her shotgun and barrelled towards Nicole, the first tears already stinging her eyes. She dropped to her knees and wrapped the redhead in a hug, burying her head in her neck. Remarkably, she still smelled like vanilla dipped doughnuts.

“Thank god you’re okay. Nicole, I am so, so sorry you got dragged into this, and I get if you can’t stay with me or-”

Nicole cut her off with a deep kiss. When they pulled apart, she wiped away the tears from Waverly’s cheeks and offered her signature dimpled smile.

“I’m not going anywhere. Not without you,” she rasped out.

The tears flowed freely from both parties now.

Nicole suddenly breathed in sharply. “Speaking of going places, how about a hospital?”

“Already on it, Haught,” Dolls said from the van as he made room for her in the back.

Nicole tenderly grabbed Waverly’s hand as if to kiss it, but paused “Waves, what happened? Why are you bruised? Are you okay?”

Waverly smiled and nodded, touched by the fact that Nicole was worried about her, even after being captured by actual demons. “I am now that you’re back. I love you Nicole.”

“Love you too Waves. Always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> Ah jeez guys I hope that was alright. Again, sorry it took so long. 
> 
> I'm not sure if that's the last chapter or not. Still deciding. Either way, it's definitely not my last fic.
> 
> You guys are actually the best and your comments really mean so much to me. You all keep me writing.
> 
> Again THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING YOU'RE SUPER RAD :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey thanks for reading! It means a lot. Leave things in the comments please (if that's your thing) and feedback is always welcome. 
> 
> THANK YOU


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